Verbal sighting in brains of the blind

Brain areas that typically play a key role in vision instead contribute to language skills among blind people, a new study finds. This observation underscores the brain's ability to adapt to individual circumstances, say Leonardo G. Cohen of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke in Bethesda, Md., and his colleagues.

The scientists administered a verbal task to nine adults with normal sight and nine adults who had lost their sight by age 4. Each volunteer listened to a series of spoken nouns, such as apple, and had 5 seconds after each one to say an appropriate verb, such as eat.

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